Improvement in harvesters



UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

\VM. VAN ANDEN, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEXT YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS. i

Speeiliuatiou `forming part of' Lettfrs Patent N0. 35,792, dated July 1. i502.,

To all whom t may concer/1,:

Be it known that I, WILLTAM VAN ANDEN, of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useit'ul Improvements in Machines for Mowing and Harvesting Grass and Grain; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and clear description of the same. v

The first part of my invention consists in the method of constructing a compound or doubleacting coupling-box, in combination with the driving-wheels and gearing-wheels of the machine, so that each driving-wheel may act independently of the other to operate the gearing, and thus permit the machine to be worked to the right or left to cut the grass.

rlhe second part of my invent-ion consists in the method of forming the eye ou the cutterbar by bending a portion of it in the shape of an inverted U, so that the connecting-rod for operating will work directly upon the bar, and thereby avoid the expense and labor of welding or bolting an eye to it, as is commonly the case.

The third part of my invention consists in the method of holding the propelling-wheel axle upon the vibratory frame by means of sel f-adj ustable boxes working in guides, so that the' frame may have a rocking motion on the trunnions, but prevented from having a sidewise motion.

To describe my invention more particularly, I will refer to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiieation, the same lett-ers of reference, wherever they occur, referring to like parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view ot' the machine. Fig. 2 is a right-hand side view of the same. Fig. 8 is a vertical cut section through the line x af, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detached sectional view of propelling-wheel axle, showing the methodot supporting the frame on it. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the trunnion through the line ma, Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detached longitudinal cut section of the compound coupling-box. Fig. 7 is an interior view of the reverse side of the coupling-box. Fig. S is an interior view-of the obverse side of the same. Fig. 9 is a detached side view of the cutterbar, showing the reversed -U shaped eye. Figs. 10, 1l, and l2 are upper, lower, and cut sections 'of the V-shaped cut-ter.

Letters A and B and B2 are the axle and propelli11g-wheels of the machine. C is the frame, which may be made of wood or metal, as desired. For portability, however, I consider metal the best, and especially as adapted to my method oi' hanging the frame to the axle A, so as to have a self-adjustable rocking motion to accommodate the cutters to any inequalities of the ground. This is effected by means of a box or collar, D, adjusted on the axle A, and having trunnions E on its opposite sides to form bearings for the support of the frame adjusted upon a box, F, forming an arch over the axle A. y To one side of the box F the metal is extended, j, and bent or rounded, so as to form a suitable bearing for the main driving gear-wheel G to rotate on. The obj eet of thisv is to have this wheel, aswell all the other geari iig-wheels, H, I, and J, operating in connection therewith, to propel the cutterbar suspended on the frame C, so that in its rocking ou the trunnions-the several wheels will keep in gear, and thus work smoothly, though subject to a constant rocking or vibratory motion. To prevent the frame from having any sidewise motion, guide-boxes K K are secured on the side rails of the frame, over the axle A, so as to permit it to have a sufficient amount of up and down motion, but no lateral or sidewise motion. l

Letter L is a compound coupling-box, adjusted upon the axle A and between the main driving gear-wheel G and propelling-wheel B2. The object of this compound coupling-box is to connect both the propelling-wheels B and Bl with the gearing-wheel G, so that whether the machine is turned to the right or left to cut the grass the cutter will be operated. This is efiected by having the wheel I3 fixed permanently upon the axle A, while the wheel. 3 works loosely upon it, so that when the latch M, attached to the upper side of the coupling-box, is dropped into its seat in the main gear-wheel G, the click or pawl N, attached to the inner face of the hub B2, acting upon the ratchet on its inner circumference, the coupling-box L will operate tl ie gearing-wheel G for propelling the cutters, when making the turn from right to left, round thewheel B as a center of inotion. To operate the gearing forpropelling the cutters from left to right round the wheel B2 as a center of niotion,the pawl N2 in the reverse or opposite half of the coupling-box, is adjusted upon a disk or plate, N3, attached permanently to the axle A, so that as the axle and Wheel B, attached thereto, rotate thepawl N2, engaging into the ratchet on the inner cii-,

cumferenoe of this half of the coupling-box, will operate the gearingavheels,v and thus either propelling-Wheel may act independently of the other to permit the machine to be turned to the right orleft hand at pleasure. To keep the pawls down upon the ratchet-s, small springs are secured. to them for that purpose.

Letter P is the cutter-bar connecting-rod, attached at one cud to the rim of a flywheel, Q., and at the otherinto an eye or loop, R, formed in the end of thecutter-bar S. The formation of the eye or loop is done by bending up the bar to an inverted- U shape at the time of forging the bar. The object of this is to obviate Welding eyes to the bar, which, if not well done, is liable to crack and wear loose in forging independent or separate pieces of metal into eyes, to be bolted to the bar. To prevent the loop from `straightening out, a plate of metal, fr?, having an opening` in it to lit ovcrthe eye, is bolted to the cutter-bar, and thus holds the U from opening. The experience of men using mowingmachines has developed the fact that no amount of bolting is capable of resisting for any length of time the constant jar of the rapid vibratory motion ofthe cutter-bar, and though v Welding eyes upon the cutter-bar may be considered an advantage, yet the tendency to burn or harden the metal just at the point Where the eye is formed shows that it does not make a durable fixture.

Letter T are the cutters. These are formed out of thin plates ofsteel, and are made in the form of a with their outer and inner edges bent down at an angle of about teu degrees, so that when placed upon a flat surface and ground down a cutting-edge will be formed with the single grinding operation on one side, and thus facilitate the keeping .the knives in cutting order.

Having now described my invention, I will proceed to set forth what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. The combination of the gear wheel G With the bearing f2, forming an extension of the box F, as a method of suspending the said gear-Wheel G upon the frame, so as to permit it to vibrate with the rocking motion of the frame, in contradistinction to the usual method of suspending the main gear-wheel directly upon the axle A, thereby causing it to conform to the motion of the axle, instead of conforming to the rocking or vibratory motions of the other gear-wheels suspended on the frame, to cause an easy and, comparatively speaking, frictionless motion to all the gearing-Wheels for operating the cutters.

2. The use of the compound coupling-box, substantially as described, in combination with the ln'opelling-Wheel B2 and gear-wheel G, i'or the purposes hereinbcfore set forth.

3. The use of the guide-boxes K, in combination with the axle A and frame C, substantially as set forth, and for the purposes 'de-L scribed.

4. The method of making the inverted-U- shaped eye in the end of the cutter-bar, in combination with the plate r2, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

XVM. VAN ANDEN.

Titnessesz CHARLES L. BARRITT, JOHN R. MoRHoUs. 

